Improvement in devices for detaching horses



P. B. HEWITT. Device for Detaohi-ng Horses.

N0. 2H',470. Patented Jan. 21, I879.

g E, Fig.2.

I T I o e E J Wrmzsszs INVENTOR "UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK B. HEWITT, OF SMITHVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA.

IMPROVEMENT lN DEVICES FOR DETACHING HORSES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 2] 1,470, dated January21, 1879 application filed December 20, 1878.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK B. HEWITT, of Smithville, in the county ofBrunswick and State of North Carolina, have invented certainImprovements in Detaching Devices for Vehicles, of which the followingis a specification:

This invention relates to improvements in detaching devices for thepurpose of freeing the horse from the shafts of a vehicle when the horseattempts to run; and consists in the employment of a bolt made torevolve partially by means of a lever fastened to its lower end, andwhich-is operated by a cord, I, that passes through a loop, i, fastenedto the splinter-bar, and which can be pulled by the driver. The upperend of the bolt has a rectangular head, wider one way than the other.The whiffletree or single-tree has a corresponding mortise in it, whichallows the head of the bolt to pass through the whiffletree, and is thenturned crosswise, so that the head is transverse to the mortise. Acylinder, operated by a coiled spring, is forced down into anothercylinder when the whiffletree is placed on the splinter-bar. By turningthe bolt, by means of the cord and lever, the head of the boltcorresponds with the mortise in the whiffletree, and the spring causesthe cylinder to force the whiffletree away from the splinterbar and letthe horse loose from the vehicle.

A chain is fastened over a hook upon the splinter-bar and to thecarriage, so that when the shafts are left by the horse they are held upby the chain, all of which will be more fully described hereinafter.

In the drawing, Figure 1 is a side view of the shaft and splinter barand whiffletree. Fig. 2 is a top view of the splinter-bar, and Fig. 3 isa longitudinal section of Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a rear view of thesplinter-bar.

A is one of the shafts, fastened to the splinter-bar by tenons. B is thesplinter-bar, made heavier than usual, to accommodate the devices fordetaching the single-tree O, which has in it a rectangular mortise, a,wider one way than the other, and, is made a little larger than therectangular head (I of the bolt D, the longer side being lengthwiseofthe sin gle-tree.

The bolt D extends through the splinter-bar B, and has at its lower enda shoulder at d to rest upon the bottom of the hollow space F. The end dof the bolt D passes through a lever, E, which is fastened by a pin, 6.There is a stout cord, E, fastened to the end of lever E, and whichpasses through a metal loop, t, and up into the vehicle, so that thedriver has control of it. F is a cylinder, of metal, fitted firmly intoa circular recess, F, in the splinter-bar, as seen in section, Fig. 3.This cylinden F has a flanged top, f, and inside of it a flange, f,leaving a small space between it and the top f for a coiled spring, 9.(Seen in Fig. 3.) Inside of the cylinder F is another metal cylinder, G,having its lower end clasped firmly by the coiled spring g. The upperend of cylinder G bears under the single-tree 0, so that when the latteris forced down over the head (1 of the bolt D the cylinder Gr strainsthe coiled spring g. Now, to fasten the sin gletree, it is requisite,that the lever E should be turned crosswise and thus bring the head d ofbolt D crosswise of the mortise c in the single-tree O, and it is readyfor hitching the horse thereto.

Should it be desired, from any cause, to detach the horse by the driverspulling the cord 1, the lever E is pulled transversely, the head d ofbolt D is made to correspond with the mortise c in the singletrce, andthe recoil of the spring 1 causes the cylinder G to throw thesingle-tree off from the bolt, and thus release the horse.

H is a hook fastened to the splinter-bar, and h is a chain by which thesplinter-bar is held to the vehicle, so that the shafts are held upafter the horse may have been detached.

I claim 1. The combination of the bolt D, having attached to it a lever,E, and the whiffletree, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. The combination of the bolt D and lever E, the whiffletree (3,cylinders G and F, and spring g.

' FRANK B. HEWITT.

Witnesses \V. J. POTTER, D. W. MANsoN.

